COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Brian Schmetzer let out a sigh and cracked a smile. The Seattle Sounders head coach was just asked if he felt that Wednesday’s 2-1 road win over the Colorado Rapids was good for the coaching staff, and him in particular, and he found a brief moment to nod before deflecting and praising his players.
The July 4 win was a gutty one for the Sounders, who scored first after dominating much of the first half, only to concede before the stroke of halftime. Seattle never wavered, though, and pulled one back behind a brace from Will Bruin, who extended his team lead to five goals this season.
“The message to the guys was that we have had some results here, so I wanted to give them some belief that they could win,” said Schmetzer. “We gave them a game plan and they executed it.”
Seattle has won five straight matches in all competitions against the Rapids, including three consecutive at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Sounders clinched their first Western Conference Championship in 2016 with a 1-0 win in Commerce City.
“It’s a massive win,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan. “I felt like we controlled the momentum in the first half, but in the second half I felt like it got away from us. Overall, it’s a gutsy performance and I’m very proud of the guys.”
There’s little time to rest, however, as another road match, the second of three, awaits on Saturday at the New England Revolution (4:30 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, Univision-Seattle, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). Another win would go a long way in helping the team climb back into the Western Conference playoff hunt.
“In the short term it’s good,” said Bruin. “We get some goals, get the win, start playing with some confidence, but it’s a quick turnaround to New England, so hopefully we can get three more points.”
